At first glance, Dark Souls 2 might not seem like much of an improvement over it's predecessor. Honestly, I didn't enjoy the first game, I felt like it was plagued by invaders and I couldn't get over the feeling that I missed the boat on the whole thing. Thankfully, Dark Souls 2 has fixed everything about the first game that I hated....well, almost everything.
Right off the bat, I'll tell you not to listen to the nay sayers who claim that the graphics aren't up to par. I have no idea what kind of drugs they're on -- the graphics in this game are extremely detailed, and if you play it on PC with all settings on maximum, it's downright beautiful. I can't speak for the graphics on console, but I can speculate that the now aging hardware of the 360/PS3 generation most likely don't do this game justice. From Software are experts with atmosphere and detail, that much is true. The requirements for this game on PC aren't that high anyway, I haven't once had a single frame rate drop of any kind. The only time I've noticed a graphical hitch of any kind is an anomaly where the enemies sometimes look as if they're moving at a low-frame rate when you see them from very far away, it's a small thing but I feel as though I should point that out because it is sorta odd.
Like I said before, From Software fixed and/or tweaked every aspect of the first game that I did not like originally. For the observant and intelligent gamer, there's a broad range of opportunities in this game that allow you to take advantage of any given situation, as opposed to the original "Dark Souls" where you're constantly watching your back for player invaders and the like. If you never played Dark Souls, you should beware of the PvP: when you're human, there's always a possibility that you can be invaded by other human players that choose to be invaders; the invasion is a frustrating feature of the series that I never cared for, but I will tell you in all truthfulness that I was never invaded in Dark Souls 2 until very late in the game, and even then it was only because I was in what you might call a 'designated PvP area'. Most of the time, at least early in the game, you will be Hollow. The only difference between Dark Souls and Dark Souls 2 is now you are not at a disadvantage anymore, instead From Software has tweaked the formula to make it fair. You have limited but plentiful access to an abundant supply of game-changing items now, some of them consumable and some of them reusable; the retweaking of the equipment degradation system gets an honorable mention here, adding a much needed sense of relief that makes things easier on your wallet so to speak. As a side note, your ability to recover health has been downgraded in a way in comparison to the last game, but I personally felt like I needed it far less than previously in the last game. There is a rather annoying twist to dying in this one, in the form of a depleting maximum health level, but this is more of a minor annoyance that become less significant later in the game (you eventually acquire an equippable item that could negate this penalty).
Instead of writing a book about this game, I will sum it up this way: Dark Souls 2 is an incredible game, but be prepared to face a gauntlet that will expose just what kind of gamer you are. It's difficult, but not too difficult, and it will show you just where your skills lie. I encourage you to NOT be a mage or a caster type character, at this point when I've beat the game finally, nine out of ten players will be mages or roguish types. Everybody wants to be a stealthy rouge or mage, and it's utterly infuriating because the PvP almost never feels fair. Being a melee based character, such as a Knight, is how I believe they intended you to experience the game, but do what you will. The game as a whole is a much more satisfying experience when you play as a traditional sword and shield type character. Also, I have to dock some points because some of the late game enemies are poorly designed, the bosses too, and I can't fairly give From Software a free pass on this just because the game has a reputation for being difficult. Some enemies that crop up right before the end of the game feel entirely unfair, including but limited to an extremely powerful boss that happens to be an optional one yet drops an item on his death that makes another boss fight much easier, which is poor design in my opinion because the boss can't be beaten by usual methods. No, this boss has an area-of-effect attack that covers the whole area, and negates all of your fully reinforced armor that you spent almost one hundred real life hours acquiring. Not to mention there are the occasional mobs in Dark Souls 2 that feel as though they were developed specifically to kick you when you're down, and that's a serious "no-no" in my book because like I said: mages are way overpowered in this game, and it just does not feel fair since you'll certainly realize at some point that casters and ranged-attack characters would have the upper hand in any situation. Factor in any other set of circumstances that the game throws at you, and you might find yourself feeling that old familiar "rage-quit" sensation, albeit for a different reason.
Frustrations aside, Dark Souls 2 is a long and satisfying game, the atmosphere is perfect and chilling, and the gameplay has a realistic and harmonious quality to it. It's definitely one of the better games I have played in a long time, but I can only warn you so many times that some parts of it are controller throwing material. The one thing that kept me going through the bull was the fact that you can summon human and NPC phantoms to help you, and I highly recommend you summon them whenever possible. The PC port is clearly superior to the console version.
Respect this game. Dark Souls 2 is a marathon, not a sprint. The deeper you dig into it, the more game you'll find. You could beat the final boss and put it down for good, as a champion, or you could start the journey all over again and take on a totally different role. Dark Souls 2 has flexibility, and challenge for those who seek it.